THE BASICS
ACTIVITY: canoe trip
WHERE: Grand Lake (Sand Lake Gate access, Algonquin Park)
WHEN: August 2012
HOW LONG: 4 days, 3 nights
GROUP: 2 mamas and 6 (!) boys, aged 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 and not quite 1
THE EXTRAS
DETAILS: I visited Grand Lake several times about 10 (!) years ago. It was one of those places for me that I knew I would need to go to back to, that I looked forward to bringing my kids to. Last summer was the time to do it.
Grand Lake is an excellent get-the-feel-for-being-remote-without-going-too-far place to canoe camp. Grand Lake is accessed at Achray campground which is on the east of the park (via Sand Lake Gate). The campground at Achray is lovely in itself and that would work as a place to be based for a few days while making day trips out onto the water. There are also a number of campsites in clusters out on the lake and these are what I had in mind when we planned this trip.
Having camped a lot on my own with my kids I knew we could do this trip by ourselves but that it would be more fun with friends, so we sent out invitations and were tickled to have another mom and her 3 young boys join us. Heading out on a big, potentially windy lake in an area that does not have cell coverage, I felt better having another adult with me. Our boys kept us very busy so we didn't have much time to get into any deep conversations, but such is life with little ones. We were both so pleased to be in such a beautiful place with our kids.
Grand Lake is an access point to a few popular paddling routes so it can be busy. Since it is Algonquin Park I knew I would need to reserve anyway. We were unable to reserve specific sites. I knew that the sites are quite spread out around the lake and I did not want to have to paddle to the far end so we tried to arrive early-ish. We put-in around noon on a Thursday and while we definitely took our time, we had no problem getting a site in the nearest cluster. There were 5 or 6 sites there and only one was taken. By Friday evening they were all full. They are separated by a forest trail so there is privacy, and the children do love to encounter other people when we are out, but I have made a mental note to be out earlier in the week or earlier in the season next time. We encountered friends coming out when we were going in. They had also been in for 4 days, Monday to Thursday, and they had made the short portage in to Stratton Lake hoping for less congestion because of the portage. Their plan had not worked out and they left me with the impression that areas that are this easy to access in a park such as Algonquin will just always be busy. I've considered going very early in the season when the greenery is just filling out and the water is cold. (Perhaps I will this spring... I'll keep you posted.)
The drive to the Sand Lake Gate from Ottawa is about 3 hours, less than an hour to the lake from there. It is a smooth drive. The road in the park is in good shape though twisty and windy. We always keep a lookout for moose or bears as we make our way around the many corners.
This side of the park was closed for several days due to fire in July. Calling ahead to check that status, even with reservations, would be a good idea. Apparently the fire got very close to Grand Lake but we did not see any damage during our wanderings.
The sites where we stayed connect to a peninsula that is covered in pine needles that have been shed by the mature stand of white and red pine that cover it. This area used to be the camping zone but it has been rezoned for historical preservation, so while we were able to wander and play there, no one camped there. It is a lovely picnic spot and magical for hide and seek and searching for pine cones or making piles of needles. We were there for 4 days. We made a lot of piles.
The beach where we stayed was sandy and shallow. I remember it teeming with sluggish bullfrog tadpoles in June. We did not encounter the tadpoles but there were plenty of frogs to chase. The loons serenaded us all night, and I had my first encounter with a stinkpot turtle. The boys were thrilled.
By Sunday afternoon we had watched many paddling groups pass us by on their way out. We held off as long as we could, enjoying the feeling of getting the point all to ourselves, then finally packed up and headed for home. The weather and the water and wind were very cooperative for our paddling pleasure during this trip. The fact is, though, that we were such a short distance from the put in (about 20 minutes of 1 person paddling a full boat hard) that even in a blustery downpour we were sheltered enough and able to hug the shore the whole way back if we had needed to. We didn't need to.
RECOMMENDATIONS
This part of Algonquin is beautiful and I would encourage everybody to check it out. As I mentioned above, it can get busy so reservations are required. Getting onto the water early is helpful if you are hoping to camp at a particular site. Choosing less busy times (if such a thing exists in Algonquin) can be helpful too.
Grand Lake is magical to me. We will go back. Maybe we'll see you there!
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